July 8, 2011

Gregg: "We're Not Scared Of Them -- Them And Their $180 Million Payroll"

Kevin Gregg, after the game:
We're not scared of them -- them and their $180 million payroll. We don't care. We're here to play the game. We have just as much right to play the game here and we're going to do everything we can to win. ... They're going to whine and complain about it because they think they're better than everybody else ... You get tired of getting your butt kicked every night when you come in here ...
Buck Showalter can be proud that at least one of his players cast aside any notions of self-respect and regurgitated the same idiotic comments about payroll that Showalter voiced during the spring. ... And he was proud, though he also seemed to call out some of his other pitchers:
I'm proud of them. They handled it the right way. We're a little wounded and some things happen out there that kind of wakens wounded people. We'll see what happens. It's the way Kevin pitches ... I just wish other guys take notice because you can't constantly allow other guys to get extended and feel real comfortable all the time.
Gregg said he yelled at Ortiz for not running toward first after he hit the ball. (Another report said Gregg was telling Ortiz to get back to his dugout.) Of course, Ortiz was running to first and not even looking at Gregg. He made a detour only after Gregg -- who was ejected while Ortiz was still following the flight of his fly ball -- began yelling.
Gregg misses with a right.
Ortiz misses with a left.
More comments from the Orioles:

Gregg:
The first pitch wasn't too far off the corner and he jumped away like it was at his head. Next pitch was a little bit further in, he didn't like it, he stared at me. I'm still going to go in there. I'm not going to let him lean over the plate ... He's hitting stuff off the wall, he's real comfortable in there. ... I'm pitching him in, 3-0, they are up seven. I think there is some ethics to the game you got to stay within. Run. Hit a fly ball, a lazy fly ball, you got to run the bases. Apparently he didn't like me telling him that stuff and he came out there. It's part of the game. He has a right to come out there. I'm going to defend myself if he comes out. ... It's 3-0 and you are up seven runs and the opposing pitcher gets upset with you hitting a weak fly ball and not running. If he thinks there's something [wrong] with me saying that, than he's got other things he needs to figure out in this game.
Nick Markakis:
I like Ortiz. I respect the way he plays the game, but I think it was a little bush league, bottom of the eighth, up by six, two outs, swinging 3-0. ... I think he's going to look back at it and realize that he screwed up there ... It doesn't make sense. He knows the game better than that. ... It's a little bush league ... especially charging our pitcher regardless of what was said.
Adam Jones said he "couldn't be prouder" of Gregg.

Zach Britton:
[T]hose two pitches - I was in here watching the game - the two pitches that Gregg threw to Papi weren't even close. So it was unnecessary for him to stare in and act like a tough guy. ... I'm not saying this is what baseball is about, but I think this brought us a little closer.
Darnell McDonald:
Is that what he was trying to do? He was just trying to pitch inside? No, he wasn't trying to [pitch inside]. When you've been in the league a long time, you have a feeling if somebody's trying to pitch inside or he's trying to hit you.
Josh Beckett:
The rule is that if something happens and you leave the mound, you're automatically ejected. It wasn't handled that way. Now other guys are probably going to get fined. ... We're a good hitting team. You can't just be hitting our ... guys because we're scoring a lot of runs. ... Maybe they saw something different. Maybe they saw something they didn't like or whatever. But if it's just because we scored eight runs in the first inning and they start throwing at our ... guys, it's going to be a long year.
ESPN's Joe McDonald, quoted at SoSH:
Red Sox players were watching Gregg interview in clubhouse and were not happy about it.

14 comments:

johngoldfine said...

"...they think they're better than everybody else ..."

What else is a baseball season other than an extended experiment to find out who is better than everyone else?

I think it's well within the Code to swing at a 3-0 pitch in that game situation--if the pitcher has been throwing at you!

laura k said...

If I were an Orioles fan, I'd like Gregg comments - I'd be proud of him, too. I'm guessing many of us would feel that way.

His behaviour on the mound was idiotic, and he got what he deserved, but once it's done, what's he supposed to say afterwards? "I suck, I was frustrated at how much I suck, and I can't fight, either"?

laura k said...

I think it's well within the Code to swing at a 3-0 pitch in that game situation--if the pitcher has been throwing at you!

Totally.

Since I wrote that about Gregg's comments, and not everyone was in last night's gamethread, I guess I should also say...

I loved watching Ortiz in action last night. His anger was justified and he handled it well. He looked great, too!

gary said...

When you're getting your ass kicked every night you reach for whatever you can get.

Gregg was simply regurgitating the same nonsense that his manager did earlier in the year. Therapy might help with the inferiority complex they've got going on in that dugout, but it won't help them score runs.

Grant Salzano said...

I think it was a little bush league, bottom of the eighth, up by six, two outs, swinging 3-0.
Pfff what?? Glad someone else feels like I do about this.

Holy crap, I agree that if I was an O's fan I'd love it, but what a load of facepalm that dude's interview was. "Them and their $180M payroll"...he wouldn't be bitchin if he was on that 180M payroll, that's for sure. "They think they're better than everyone else" ...I hate to be "that guy" to point this out, but, I mean, we are. There's a reason we're teeing off like Tiger in his prime out there.

allan said...

It's good to have a solid hatred for a shitty team. Tampa fit that bill years ago, especially with Hal McRae at the helm (01-02). Looks like Showalter and the Os are the new Devil Rays.

matthew said...

Hopefully Lackey will retaliate in the 1st tonight, get tossed, and spare the rest of us from having to endure his putrid pitching for another couple of innings.

9casey said...

Grant said...
but what a load of facepalm that dude's interview was.


What is facepalm?



There's a reason we're teeing off like Tiger in his prime out there.


Word.....

Benjamin said...

I'm still amused that GDGD scored that at-bat as a double play with Reddick out at home on the throw. (Instead of, uhhhhh, how do you score "runner left his base to go punch some scrubs"?)

FenFan said...

I wondered why Showalter was not ejected as well. I have to believe that he ordered Gregg to throw at Ortiz. If not, then why didn't he tell him to stop after the first pitch that was thrown way inside?

I'm sorry, but Flo was not crowding the plate. Youk crowds the plate. Mo Vaughn used to crowd the plate. Flo does not crowd the plate.

Admit it, Gregg, you're a sore loser. Should we "Make Tito Apologize?"

It's good to have a solid hatred for a shitty team. Tampa fit that bill years ago, especially with Hal McRae at the helm...

I thought the exact same thing.

Enjoy the view from the cellar, Buck!

allan said...

One of the Boston papers reported that in the post-game interviews after the first game, Showalter was quietly fuming about his team's performance. The writer menioned something about fury in his eyes.

So Sgt. Showalter is frustrated and pissed at his team on Thursday, then the next night, his starter gives up EIGHT RUNS in the first inning.

Some sort of retaliation would seem to be likely ... and since the Os can't do it with hits and runs or good pitching (despite Buck's alleged magical powers to make teams better!!!), they have to, in effect, throw a tantrum.

I would love for Lackey to totally shut these dush bags down and the offense to go wild and never let up. Something like 37-0 would be acceptable.

allan said...

facepalm (pix)

FenFan said...

Sgt. Showalter

"I see nothing – NOTHING!"

laura k said...

Hopefully Lackey will retaliate in the 1st tonight, get tossed, and spare the rest of us from having to endure his putrid pitching for another couple of innings.

It's the perfect plan.